The Most Important Thing
by Ryuchu
Summary: She tries her best to smile, but deep down, every time she looks at his face, she's nothing but terrified. Terror freezes her in place, steals her words away, and prevents either of them from moving forward. It's suffocating. It's painful. It needs to stop. Now.


**A/N: **I ship Alvin x Leia to the sun and back.

Honestly, I feel that the game handled their relationship pretty poorly. There was a lot of room for development and by the end of the game, the two of them haven't really worked out their issues. Oh sure, there's the one little interaction they have, but that doesn't really explore the depth of the problem.

Well anyways, instead of getting frustrated, I decided to write a one-shot about the two of them working out some of their issues post-game. Since this story is in the post-game setting, there are indeed some spoilers, so watch your step. Also, I have extremely limited knowledge of Tales of Xillia 2, so if something I write here doesn't line up, then I apologize profusely.

Side note: bits and pieces (namely the bits and pieces involving Leia's hairband and Alvin's coat) of this were inspired by an in-game skit titled "Item Steal".

Any who, I do hope that you enjoy!

* * *

"Welcome to Leronde Lodge!" Leia greeted with an energetic smile as she spun around at the sound of the door opening, "How may I help…you…"

The end of her sentence trailed into silence as Leia's gaze settled on the guest who just entered the foyer. Her still rationally thinking mind yelled at her to finish her greeting – after all, a few short weeks ago, she had decided to give up pursing nursing and was now working at the inn; she had promised herself that until she found a more definite direction in life, she would give her all to assisting her parents. However, the voice of rationality was quickly shoved aside for a much stronger emotion: shock.

Standing in the doorway was Alvin, a characteristic smile plastered on his face. The several months in which she hadn't seen him seemed to have little effect on him, although her semi-medically trained eyes did pick up that his face was more gaunt than normal and he had mild circles under his eyes.

While it was true that the two of them had occasionally sent one another letters, they were largely sent out of a sense of obligation. Messages from both sides were clipped and lacking in any form of familiarity; anyone stumbling upon the letters would believe them to be business correspondences rather than friendly exchanges. In her more cynical moments, Leia couldn't help but wonder if that's exactly what they were.

As much as she tried to force herself to forgive Alvin, it wasn't so simple. Every time she saw his face, a phantom pain would sting in her shoulder and a feeling akin to fear would catch in her throat. She had been slowly working towards being able to speak with him normally once more, but as she stood there, all her training fled her mind. She simply had no idea what to say.

"Hey there Leia, long time no see," Alvin suddenly greeted as he stepped deeper into the inn and allowed the door to click shut behind him, "How have you been?"

The sound of Alvin's voice rang oddly in Leia's ears and she realized that she had heard that tone once before – it was when he had first tried to apologize to her. It was only then that she realized Alvin was just as nervous as she was. For some reason, this fact was what gave her the ability to smile as she responded.

"I've been busy! We've had all these tourists flooding the area wanting to see the birthplace of the great Jude Mathis. Honestly, you think he would stop by sometime to actually help since this is all his fault."

"Haha, yeah, but the kid's busy with the very research that made him famous in the first place. I bet you our little honors student can't find more than a few moments to himself every day."

"I guess that's true, but a girl can dream, can't she?"

"Even if I told you that you couldn't, you would just keep on doing it."

"You've got that right!"

And then the conversation died down once more and the almost amicable feeling that had been rising between them dissipated as if it were never there. The uneasiness that had been permeating their interactions since the day he had shot her settled heavy over both of them once again. Leia found herself unable to maintain eye contact. It was only when she turned her back on him and began to bustle about as if cleaning that she was able to find her voice once more.

"So what are you doing here Alvin? I thought you had been busy setting up that business of yours. What could a great business man like you want with our little village of Leronde?"

Her voice came out sounding more accusatory and harsh than she had intended, but there was no taking it back at this point.

"Can't a guy just stop by to visit his friend on a whim?"

Under normal circumstances, the answer would have been 'yes'. However, they were both aware that their tenuous friendship, if it could even be properly termed as such, was a far cry from normal circumstances. With everyone else around, it was a simple task for Leia to put her attentions towards one of the others, allowing her to escape the awkwardness that hung between them. This time she wouldn't be allowed the luxury.

Instead she forced herself to smile as she turned around to face him once more.

"Oh, are you sure that your skirt chasing just hasn't gotten you in trouble and now you're trying to hide out until it all blows over?"

"What can I say; the girls simply can't resist me. So think you can help me lay low until it's over?"

"Sure," Leia responded before turning to the ledger, quickly finding Alvin a room, and ushering him away with her forced smile still in place. It was only when she closed the door to Alvin's room that her expression fell and a tired sigh escaped her lips. She had a lot of practice hiding her pain, but seeing Alvin again so unexpectedly had drained her more than she expected. The only silver lining she could find to this situation was that within a few days, he would be on his way once more and she would be free to forget about their still broken friendship until his next letter arrived.

Yet days passed into weeks and still Alvin would not leave. To complicate matters, he seemed to be making it a point to speak with her every day, completely foiling any plans Leia had of avoiding the situation. Even though their conversations lasted no more than a few minutes each day and were awkward and artificial, Alvin continued to seek her out.

The stress was beginning to drive her crazy. Try as she might, she just couldn't feel 'normal' around Alvin. At the back of her mind, there was always an innate fear – he was the man who shot her and he could very well do it again. As much as she tried to rationalize the voice away, it would not be denied.

Around Alvin she was frightened.

She was aware that she had to do something soon – she couldn't stand living her entire life with a lingering fear of someone who was supposed to be her friend. Even more unthinkable was to break off their friendship. Sure, their relationship was uncertain now, but Leia was not one to give up half-way on anything. That Alvin had sought her out seemed to indicate that he too wasn't quite willing to give up yet.

What exactly she was supposed to do to begin confronting the situation, however, was the problem. When she wracked her brain, the only inter-personal problem she had experience with seemed to be the childhood squabbles her and Jude used to fall into on occasion. Back then, the two of them would fight (often times her being the one to escalate it to physical blows) and then a few hours later, she would stop by with mabo curry and all would be forgiven as they ate together.

Sure, it was childish and maybe it only worked in select situations, but Leia was at the point where she was willing to try anything.

So on the fifth day of the third week of Alvin's stay, it was Leia who approached him as he descended the stairs in the morning. She was surprised to see a look of genuine shock cross Alvin's features as she approached before it was carefully packed away in favor of one of his easy smiles.

"Oh now this is something," He began as she approached, "It must be my birthday if you're the one approaching me."

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch. I actually came to pose you a challenge."

"A…challenge?"

"That's right. Do you remember how when we all journeyed together we talked about the winner having the right to steal whatever they want from the loser? Well, I've been eyeing that coat of yours for a while now and I think this would be a great opportunity to get my hands on it."

It was a lie that she had prepared and even practiced beforehand. When she first decided that she would lie to get Alvin to agree to the match, she couldn't help a wry smile from slipping onto her face – now she was the one resorting to lies to cover her true intentions.

"And if I win I get what, your hairband? I hate to break it to you Leia but flowery headbands just aren't my style; they tend to mess with the mysterious rogue vibe I'm going for."

"Didn't you say that you're trying to be a business man now?"

"I'm pretty sure that they also don't wear flowery headbands."

"Then just use it as a present to a girl or something like that. Come on Alvin, you're just trying to run away!"

She was aware that her voice had taken on a suppliant tone, but she found herself unable to care; this was her last ditch effort. Even if she had to beg her way or physically drag Alvin behind her, she was going to make this work.

"Alright, alright, don't look so desperate. I'll take part in your little challenge," Alvin said, holding his hands up in defeat, "So what exactly did you have in mind?"

"A sparring match."

"No."

For a moment, Leia was thrown off by the vehemence behind Alvin's words. Then she felt her fists tighten at her side as she regained her stubborn determination.

"Why not?"

"Because it's a stupid idea. Now drop it."

Leia wanted to continue to argue, but the glare that he shot her was filled with a harshness she rarely saw from him and it froze her tongue. As she continued to stand there, Alvin turned and began to head back up the stairs; Leia listened to his footsteps and waited until she counted to five before speaking again.

"I'm fine Alvin, there's no need for you to treat me like I'm made of glass. Jude took good care of me after I was injured; I've made a full recovery at this point."

Silence settled between the two of them as Alvin stopped ascending the stairs. This time, Leia could feel how heavy the air was with unresolved tension. Despite herself, her mouth grew dry as she waited for his response.

"I'm not worried about you old wounds; I'm worried about making new ones."

So that was it; he was just as aware of the shaky nature of their friendship as she was. Leia found herself wishing that she had simply resorted to the yelling 'sparring match' tactic she had employed on Jude in their childhood; she was never much good at trying to get her way through lies.

Which meant there was only one thing for her to do in this situation – stop lying and cut to the chase.

"Alvin, please. We both know we can't go on like this; we've got to resolve this some way and if the past few weeks are anything to go by, talking isn't going to cut it. You can use a practice sword and I'll use a wooden baton. Everything will be perfectly safe."

Once more, silence defined their interactions as Leia waited for an answer. She watched as he gave an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders before turning around once more. He was smiling, but she knew him well enough by now to realize that it wasn't completely honest.

"Alright, if you _really_ want my coat that much, I suppose we can have a little sparring match."

A grin split Leia's features as she ran off towards the dojo, only slowing to throw back a hasty 'thank you' at the mercenary. As her feet pounded against the floor, her heart thudded in unison, but what drove the physical response she couldn't quite say. All she knew was that maybe, just maybe, this fight would give her some sort of closure. Perhaps it would lead to the falling out of the friendship or perhaps it would lead to strengthening it. Either way, the painful feeling of not moving anywhere was going to end today.

When she arrived at the dojo, she hastily prepared, grabbing the proper weapons and turning around just in time to see Alvin enter through the doorway.

"Catch!" She called as she threw the sword to him, which he caught in one fluid motion. Wasting no more time, she set her stance and waited for him to do the same.

"Are you really sure about this?" He surprised her by asking, "I mean, sure it's a practice sword, but it does still hurt if I whack you with it."

"Oh, so you think you can land a hit on me? That's a rather big claim," She taunted as she shifted her weight from foot to foot in anticipation.

"Sheesh, I'm trying to be serious here."

"Really, because judging by the way you haven't taken a stance, it seems more to me like you're treating this like a joke."

With that declaration made she shifted her weight forward, brought the staff to bear, and dashed towards Alvin, aiming for his ribcage. Unsurprisingly, she found her staff crashing into a wooden practice sword rather than her intended target. On instinct she jumped out of striking range and brought her staff into a defensive position.

"A surprise attack; that's rather unlike you."

"I figure since we've been fighting together so long it might be a good idea to change up my strategy a little bit."

"And you decided to ruin that strategy by telling me about it?"

"Ah! Shoot!"

Leia's moment of shocked surprise was swiftly interrupted by Alvin dashing forward and swinging his sword broadly in her direction. She barely had time to block before a series of quickly slashes followed on the heels of the initial attack. It was all Leia could do to keep retreating as she defended against his surprisingly nimble attacks. There was no longer any more time for banter; they were both fighting for real.

As the two of them broke apart once more, Leia felt her heart pound in her chest. It took her several seconds to process that it wasn't simply a result of exhaustion – her heart was pounding because she was terrified. Even though logically she knew this was nothing more than a sparring match, when she looked at Alvin standing across from her, she couldn't help but remember the first time the two of them had fought.

Then, the fear had been real; she honestly believed that Alvin would kill her if she didn't fight him off. Back then, her mind was blank and the only reason she could successfully fight back was ingrained practice and the desire to protect Jude. It was the most terrifying encounter of her life.

Because she wasn't supposed to be afraid of him; he was supposed to be her _friend_.

"I was scared of you," She spoke aloud suddenly as she gripped her staff tighter, "When you attacked Jude I knew that you would kill him if I didn't stop you."

She interrupted her own thoughts by lunging forward and making another swipe at Alvin, only to be parried once again. Her assault didn't stop however, as she continued to take jab after jab at unprotected spots on the mercenary's body. He blocked most, dodged a few, but not once did he try to strike back at her even though she knew he had ample opportunities.

"So I fought back," She continued, allowing her adrenaline to carry her words, "I fought with everything I had because I just knew that you would kill Jude and me if I didn't."

As she spoke, her words were punctuated by the twang of their wooden weapons clashing. She didn't dare look up into Alvin's face; she had no idea what kind of expression she might see.

"And you know what? I'm still scared of you. I'm trying so hard not to be, but every time I see you I remember that look you had in your eyes. You were going to kill me."

As she continued speaking, her voice rose in volume and her attacks became more vicious and sloppy. Alvin stopped dodging and simply kept flinging his weapon wherever she brought the next blow raining down.

"I'm sorry," he said so quietly that it was almost drowned out by the sound of Leia's furious attack. For some reason, this stoked Leia's ire even higher and she redoubled her efforts to break through his guard. She gripped the wooden staff so hard she could feel it biting into her palms; the dojo rang with the sound of wood connecting with wood over and over again.

Leia didn't know how long this went on for – it could have been minutes, it could have been hours – but when she finally stopped, she realized that she was exhausted. Hastily, she jumped back from their deadlocked position, fully intending to return to the fray after she caught her breath. Instead, she felt her footing fall from under her and suddenly she was sprawled on her back, her lungs greedily consuming oxygen.

The next thing she knew, there was a gentle tap on her forehead.

When she opened her eyes, she found Alvin staring down at her, an unreadable expression dominating his face. The tip of his wooden practice sword rested on her forehead.

"Looks like I win."

She wasn't sure how to react at first, but a moment later, she found herself smiling and closing her eyes in defeat.

"Looks like it. Man, and here I was all prepared to wear that coat."

"Sorry, I can't give it up that easily – it's a special one-of-a-kind coat made for only the finest of gentlemen."

"I dunno. I think I could make a pretty nice 'the finest of gentlemen'."

"Ah yes, I can see it now. Leia, the perfect gentleman; an energetic young girl in a coat three times too big for her."

To her surprise, Leia found herself laughing. It was just another one of Alvin's remarks, but for some reason she couldn't stop herself. The next thing she knew, she was laughing so hard it made her sides ache in protest and tears run from her eyes. Then just as suddenly as the laughter had arrived, it dissolved into sobs.

Time lost all meaning as she cried unabashedly, tears pouring from her eyes and sobs wracking her body. If pressed, it would have been impossible for her to name just why she was crying, but as the sobs gradually died off and she began to regain her composure, one emotion coursed through her stronger than the rest.

Relief.

"You'll ruin your pretty little face if you keep crying like that."

The voice issued from near her shoulder. She looked to find Alvin sitting on the ground and staring at her, a care-worn but honest smile decorating his face. Instead of returning the gesture, she felt more tears bubbling at the corners of her eyes.

She wasn't afraid.

When she looked at his face, the trill of fear that used to run through her system was no longer there. Her body had never felt so light before and her head felt like it was swimming in a giddy whirl. There was no more need for false smiles and artificial amicability because now it could be real.

"…Thank you Leia. I mean that sincerely."

His gratitude was completely unexpected and just like the first time after she finally started talking to him again, Leia felt a dark flush decorate her cheeks. She wanted to voice some kind of response, but she couldn't think of the proper words. Instead, she allowed her tears to dry as she stared up at the ceiling, realizing for the first time how physically and emotionally drained she is.

A second later, something fell over her face, blocking her view. When she sat up, it fell heavily into her lap and as she registered what it was, her eyes went wide in surprise.

It was Alvin's coat.

Her eyes moved to Alvin, who was already halfway to the door.

"Wait a minute!" She called as she scrambled to her feet, "I'm the one who lost, you can't just go handing the loser the prize."

"Aren't you the one who's always saying effort is far more important?" He responded, without even bothering to turn to look at her, "Just think of it as me recognizing all that effort you put into the fight. My arm is going to be feeling this for the next couple of days."

Leia watched him for a few more steps before she ran after him while hastily tugging out her hairband. In one swift motion, she shoved the flowery ornament onto Alvin's head before throwing his coat over her own shoulders. It was so big on her that she was practically drowning in it, but she hugged it to her chest as he turned around. Already his hand was hovering near his head, poised to remove the hairband as soon as possible.

"No removing it!" Leia scolded instantly, "It's your prize for winning, so you have to wear it proudly. Besides, it's my absolute favorite so you're not allowed to just throw it away. That would just be poor manners."

Slowly, Alvin's hand dropped away from his head and an honest smile crossed his face.

"You know, I can't help but feel that this is more of a punishment than a reward. Just… going out on a limb here though."

"Well you'd best get back on that tree because this is most definitely a reward; remember that I had to save my allowance for weeks to get it? That means you're not allowed to just throw it out. Besides, it looks really great on you!"

"Somehow I get the feeling that you're the only person in the world that thinks that."

"Nonsense! I'm sure that my mom and dad will agree with me! Speaking of which, it's probably close to lunch time. How about some mabo curry to celebrate our mutual victory?"

"'Mutual victory'? Technically, wasn't I the one who won?"

"Maybe."

With that cryptic remark serving as her only response, she headed out of the dojo and towards the kitchen. Behind her she heard him sigh before following after her. Her grip on his jacket instinctively tightened as she listened to the sound of his following footsteps. The stagnation that had defined their relationship was no longer there. For the first time, the silence between them didn't feel heavy. It may have been baby steps, but the two of them were moving forward.

That was the most important thing.

* * *

**A/N:** Alvin doesn't have his coat in TOX2; Leia doesn't have her headband. The totally obvious (Ryuchu only) conclusion is that they gave them to one another**.**


End file.
